Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toyama and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Toyama: $1,175 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Toyama
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,175
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,625
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toyama and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Toyama and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,175 per month in Toyama vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Toyama $1,175
  • Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $1,880 per month in Toyama vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Toyama $1,880
  • Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $2,584 per month in Toyama vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Toyama $2,584
  • Medellin $3,199

Toyama is about 28% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Toyama sits 13% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Toyama
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.94 ¥622
$8.30 COP 26.3K
-52.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.27 ¥6,362
$46.91 COP 148.7K
-14.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.98 ¥787
$9.24 COP 29.3K
-46.10%
Cappuccino
$3.33 ¥526
$3.05 COP 9,676
9.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.05 ¥166
$1.80 COP 5,707
-41.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.79 ¥125
$1.38 COP 4,382
-42.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.45 ¥387
$3.24 COP 10.3K
-24.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10 ¥489
$5.56 COP 17.6K
-44.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Toyama
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 ¥178
$1.50 COP 4,760
-24.67%
White Bread (500g)
$0.77 ¥122
$2.37 COP 7,508
-67.51%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.55 ¥561
$1.70 COP 5,377
108.82%
Eggs
$2.07 ¥327
$2.96 COP 9,379
-30.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.50 ¥1,659
$10.22 COP 32.4K
2.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.13 ¥968
$9.74 COP 30.9K
-37.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.44 ¥2,281
$13.90 COP 44.1K
3.88%
Apples (1kg)
$5.73 ¥906
$4.13 COP 13.1K
38.74%
Banana (1kg)
$2.73 ¥431
$1.53 COP 4,839
78.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.85 ¥450
$2.22 COP 7,052
28.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.27 ¥675
$2.27 COP 7,194
88.11%
Potato (1kg)
$2.55 ¥402
$1.99 COP 6,311
28.14%
Onion (1kg)
$2.65 ¥419
$1.67 COP 5,285
58.68%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.30 ¥205
$1.18 COP 3,742
10.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.65 ¥102
$1.24 COP 3,919
-47.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.77 ¥595
$3.87 COP 12.3K
-2.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.44 ¥1,017
$13.78 COP 43.7K
-53.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 ¥272
$1.66 COP 5,256
3.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.00 ¥316
$2.40 COP 7,615
-16.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Toyama
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.51 ¥239
$1.24 COP 3,944
21.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.9 ¥8,509
$78.2 COP 248.0K
-31.13%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.23 ¥510
$1.28 COP 4,044
152.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.64 ¥418
$2.15 COP 6,803
22.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.28 ¥3,203
$8.37 COP 26.5K
142.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 ¥175
$1.35 COP 4,288
-17.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K ¥3.3M
$34.8K COP 110.2M
-39.71%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.0K ¥2.8M
$34.7K COP 110.0M
-48.03%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toyama
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$130 ¥20.6K
$167 COP 528.4K
-21.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.54 ¥3,878
$13.62 COP 43.2K
80.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.59 ¥4,991
$29.12 COP 92.3K
8.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Toyama
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.1 ¥8,381
$45.09 COP 143.0K
17.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.18 COP 54.5K
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.31 ¥1,786
$6.97 COP 22.1K
62.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Toyama
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$626 ¥98.9K
$790 COP 2.5M
-20.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.6K ¥2.3M
$9,041 COP 28.7M
61.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Toyama
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.8 ¥9,928
$87.8 COP 278.4K
-28.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.20 ¥5,877
$58.2 COP 184.4K
-36.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$62.0 ¥9,794
$139 COP 440.7K
-55.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 ¥16.0K
$98.9 COP 313.5K
2.39%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Toyama
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$234 ¥37.0K
$1,028 COP 3.3M
-77.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$330 ¥52.1K
$620 COP 2.0M
-46.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,091 ¥172.3K
$1,881 COP 6.0M
-42.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$730 ¥115.4K
$1,008 COP 3.2M
-27.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,156 ¥656.5K
$3,988 COP 12.6M
4.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,755 ¥277.3K
$1,702 COP 5.4M
3.14%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Toyama
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$663 COP 2.1M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.64
10.94
-75.87%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Toyama: October 18, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Toyama
$330
Medellin
$619 87.9% $290
Groceries & Markets
Toyama
$276
Medellin
$298 7.9% $22
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toyama
$186
Medellin
$209 12.3% $23
Clothing & Footwear
Toyama
$118
Medellin
$173 45.8% $54
Eating Out
Toyama
$112
Medellin
$171 52.3% $59
Getting Around
Toyama
$76
Medellin
$95 24.7% $19
Sport & Entertainment
Toyama
$76
Medellin
$59 22% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $234 in Toyama versus $1,028 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Toyama versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $276 vs $298 – making Toyama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Toyama
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
10:13 10:13 AM
20:13 8:13 PM
14 h behind Toyama
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
421,259
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Toyama Medellin 14,140 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Toyama
  • Medellin

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Toyama vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Toyama?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,762 per month in Toyama and $2,437 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Toyama, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Toyama or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Toyama and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Toyama and in Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,175 in Toyama and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 38%.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Toyama or in Medellin?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Toyama, where all-in costs run around $1,175, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Toyama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Toyama or Medellin more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Toyama – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Toyama or Medellin?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Toyama. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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